(A totally irrelevant snap of a PBs Dacian warrior with falx)
Sorting through a mountain of paper the other day I came across a photocopy of the rules ammendments and army lists for the Ancient competition at the 1974 National wargames Convention. WRG rules were to be used with a series of amendments including:
"2. No incendiary weapons to be employed".
In the section on army selection I was gratified to note the following:
"The organisers reserve the right to disqualify any army that tends to bring the hobby of wargaming into disrepute".
Strangely no similar stricture was applied to the gamers themselves.
Doubtless you don't need a list !!!
ReplyDeleteThere's something about the whole idea of a 1974 Wargames Convention which fills me with a great weariness - how many people were driven away from the hobby by all those dreadful control freaks? Death by realism - and that's strictly OUR interpretation of realism, thank you...
ReplyDeleteCheers - Tony
In amongst the same papers was a copy of a letter written to Brig Peter Young by an elderly figure collector of my aquaintance. In it he expresses concern about some of the wargames section of the BMSS: "I find that there are a certain number of persons in the BMSS who are getting so involved in the rules especially regarding depths and lengths of firing lines, that I do believe they have lost sight of the main aim of the game, which is enjoyment". The date on the letter is September 1968.
DeleteThere was a chap, not too soon after the original Warhammers 40,000 rules came out in 1989 who caused a fistfight at Gaelcon. Chap produced an army consisting of two figures. One officer type with a fancy hat and his trusty batman and radio operator, total cost 50 points.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of his army was 2950 points of Orbital Bombardments.
Which reminds me why army lists were first introduced in for competition games the first place........
ReplyDeleteGaulish armies will be required to wear pants?
ReplyDeleteNo, that was quite a late amendment from the times of the Great Barko-Millward Wars.
ReplyDeleteThere is of course a mass of bad tempered correspondence about national wargames conventions in Wargamer's Newsletters, I've always refrained from posting any of it but I might need to brak it out now.
ReplyDeleteRules is Rules.
And WRG rules...
I seem to recall that one year the police were almost called after some sort of court injunction over who should be allowed to stage the event. I think there was a letter about it in WN.
DeleteThis is me again - just changed my blogger profile for clarity.
ReplyDeleteI think I will either need to feel very strong or else very depressed to start with to look out any of that stuff. It sort of merges into similar exchanges on fears that WRG wanted to take over and set up one set of rules to be used by everyone - surely not! and I'm sure there was more stuff about the BMSS and its wargaming section. I think the police incident might be down to the convention (!) that the winning club hosted it the following year and chose which rules to use. Let's just be grateful they didn't have PMT to spread the vitriol on instantly...
Had a couple of years as a Regional Organiser back then. Yes, it could be fun.
ReplyDelete